The first and only parliamentary group of communists in the Senate of the Third Republic was formed following the 1938 senatorial elections, with two members.

[10] She subsequently sought to become a deputy in the National Assembly in the 1978 legislative elections; due to irregularities which resulted in the invalidation of the original result by the Constitutional Council, however, a by-election was held on 16 and 23 July which ultimately resulted in her election to the assembly and departure from the Senate;[11][12] as such, though Marcel Rosette became the new president of the group on 6 April,[13] Goutmann was obligated to continue to sit in the Senate until the Constitutional Council later confirmed her election to the National Assembly.

[14] She remained president of the group for only a year, and was replaced by Hélène Luc on 19 December 1979.

[18] Luc's stint as president of the group ended on 3 April 2001;[19] she was succeeded by Nicole Borvo.

[23] On 19 September 2012, Nicole Borvo Cohen-Seat resigned from the Senate,[24] and was succeeded by Eliane Assassi, who was elected president of the CRC group the same day.